Chapter 48 – Unexpected Development

The problem with reality is that it invariably cannot be ignored. It can be shut out for a time and put to one side, but eventually one must reconcile oneself to it. Harry and Severus spent three days up at the estate by way of a honeymoon; they would have dearly liked to have stayed longer, but with all that was going on around them, it seemed faintly daft to give credence to such a thing. They enjoyed their brief time spent away from the rest of the world, and for those three days, they existed merely as a married couple, two people who loved each other and wanted to be together, not two people caught up in the middle of a war, the circumstances of which seemed to be becoming bleaker by the day.

Harry stood at the open French windows in the half-finished room that would one day be the living room, a mug of freshly-brewed coffee in his hand as he looked out across the grounds. He felt wonderfully content, though he was sadly aware that it wouldn't be able to last. He smiled as he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist, and Severus rested his chin on his shoulder. "Morning," he said softly, "I was wondering if you'd ever wake up."

Severus emitted a soft laugh and said, "I needed all the sleep I could get after your little performance last night."

Harry smirked, snuggling into Severus' hold and said, "I was simply fulfilling my duties as a spouse, can't have you complaining that I'm not an adequate husband."

Severus began pressing soft kisses to Harry's neck and murmured, "You'll hear no complaints from me." Harry smiled and inclined his head as Severus continued to move his lips against his sensitive flesh. He pressed soft, slow kisses all along Harry's throat and up behind Harry's ear, a spot that Severus knew to be particularly vulnerable to his ministrations. Harry emitted a contented sigh and wound his arm backwards around Severus' neck as the man lay a hot trail across his skin.

"You're not considering annulling our marriage any time soon then?" Harry asked breathily.

Severus chuckled, his lips level with Harry's ear and said, "I believe that in order for a marriage to be annulled, consummation must not have taken place, and if memory serves me right, that is most certainly not the case for our marriage, which I would say is well and truly consummated." He bit Harry's earlobe and held it between his teeth as Harry said,

"And then some."

Their wedding night had been truly extraordinary. They'd had amazing sex before, but nothing quite like that. It had been in Harry's mind ever since it had happened and it had once again sparked off the question that had been in his mind ever since he'd been told by his future self that he should understand his bond with his husband. He'd felt connected to the man for a long time, they shared a mind link, that was about as connected as you could get, but what had happened the other night had been something...else.

"Severus," he ventured tentatively as one of Severus' hands snuck beneath his dressing gown and ghosted across his chest.

"Mm?" Severus replied as his long, dexterous fingers played over Harry's sensitive skin.

"There's something that's been on my mind for some time now."

The fingers stopped their movements but weren't removed. "What do you mean?" Severus asked softly.

Harry turned around to face him and looped his arms loosely around the man's neck, meeting his dark black eyes. "My future self did more than just show me a glimpse of my future, he gave me several warnings and pieces of advice about it too." Severus kept quiet but looked questioningly down at his young husband. Harry sighed and played with the strands of hair at the nape of Severus' neck, pulling himself up close to the man's body. "He told me that I need to understand my power, I need to know where it comes from and how to use it. He said that a few clever tricks wouldn't be enough to get me through this war."

"So?" Severus prompted.

"So I need to start learning."

A teasing smirk settled on Severus' lips and he said, "I never thought I'd see you take a leaning towards education, you never showed any such predilection in my classroom."

Harry grinned and said, "That's because you never gave me any incentive to do so. If you'd have been screwing me while I was still your student, I would have been much more attentive in your lessons." He sighed. "In all seriousness though, I do need to know more. I've been thinking about that academy…"

Whatever Severus had been expecting, it hadn't been that, and the surprise was evident on his face.

"I don't want to enrol or anything, but it might be useful to talk to some of the experts there, to get some real answers and really find out just what it is I'm capable of."

"You've given this some thought," Severus said, pulling Harry closer.

Harry nodded. "I have. There's something on the horizon that I can feel pulling me towards it, but I don't understand it yet. There's too much that I don't know, too much that I can't control. I can't ignore all the warnings that my future self has given me, it's time I started acting."

Severus smiled and brushed his fingers across Harry's forehead tenderly. "There's very little of the boy I once knew in the man that I now love."

Harry returned the smile and settled his hands on Severus' shoulders. "That boy seems like another person to me now, so does the man I used to believe you were. This past year has been…the strangest of my life, and that's really saying something," he added with a wry smile.

"You should know how proud I am of you," Severus said softly. "We'll find you some answers, I promise. We'll sort something out when we get back to the castle."

"Which," Harry said, glancing at this watch, "we don't have to do for another couple of hours. Any ideas how we might pass the time until then?" he said, pulling himself flush against Severus' body.

"One or two Mr Potter-Snape, one or two."


"Well, if it isn't the newly-weds! How's married life treating you?" Ron asked with a grin as Harry and Severus entered the headmaster's study to find most of the Order already assembled.

Harry smiled and said, "Rather wonderfully actually, it's just a shame we had to come back to reality."

"Aw, but you did miss us," said Draco, coming to stand next to Ron, looping his arm around the red-head's waist.

"But of course. Actually we really must thank you both, for everything you did on our wedding day, not to mention putting up with both of us," Harry said with a sheepish grin.

"Well, you were both utterly unbearable and it's a wonder we all made it through the day alive, but don't mention it, it was our pleasure," Ron replied, running a hand lazily up and down Draco's back. "As it turns out, we ended up having a rather memorable day ourselves."

"Oh?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow, having thought when they first came in that the boys looked unusually pleased with themselves.

Ron and Draco exchanged conspiratorial grins and Draco leant forward slightly, saying in a quiet voice, "We're getting married!"

"What?" Harry said in delighted surprise. "Oh my goodness, that's fantastic news!"

"We think so," Ron said, holding Draco closely to his side.

"Congratulations," Severus said with a genuine smile. He was immensely fond of both young men and they worked very well as a couple. He was truly happy for them both.

"Thanks Sev," Draco beamed.

"Have you told your families yet?" Severus asked.

"No," Ron said, shaking his head. "What with everything that's going on at the moment we thought it best to keep it to ourselves, but we wanted you two to know."

"Well I think it's the best news I've heard in ages," Harry said with a bright smile. "Certainly makes all this war business seem a bit more bearable."

"Speaking of which, apparently Remus and Hermione have some news about this ritual Voldemort's discovered."

"Oh Merlin, I hope it's good," Harry groaned, tucking himself into Severus' side.

"So do we all," Ron said grimly.

After a few more minutes' conversation they were joined by Hermione and Remus, and Lars and Ginny gave them a cheerful wave from their corner where they were happily ensconced in an armchair, Ginny sitting on Lars' lap. Several people wanted to congratulate them on their wedding and thank them for the day they had enjoyed, and it was only when Dumbledore entered the room that the animated conversation died down and everyone resumed their seats.

"Good afternoon everyone," Dumbledore said as he took his seat behind his desk, and Severus couldn't help but notice the dark circles under the man's eyes and how thin and drawn he looked. "Well, we shan't waste any time, if I could ask Remus to give us his report?" he said, and Remus moved to stand in front of the group, looking tired and worn as always.

"Well," he said in his soft but clear voice, "with a little help from Ron and Mr Broomfield, my team and I have managed to gather some information on the ritual Voldemort is going to try and perform.

Severus settled a hand on the small of Harry's back and gently rubbed back and forth, trying to ease the boy's concern that he could feel spilling over their mind link. Harry offered him a small smile and leant into the touch, incredibly grateful that he could rely on his husband.

"As Ron pointed out," Remus continued, "the Death Eater attacks all follow the same pattern, a pattern which we believe is part and parcel of the ritual. The fires lit at the highest points all mark the points of a compass on the map, but more importantly, as Hermione discovered, the geographical locations correspond to the Elements."

"What?" Harry asked with a frown, not at all liking the sound of Remus' information.

"The points of the compass all correspond to an Element – North, Air; South, Earth; East, Fire and West, Water. The diagnostics that were run on each attack site show evidence of some kind of potent, dark magic, magic that is normally used to harness power of some kind," Remus said sombrely.

"My power," Harry said softly.

Remus nodded. "We think it's a ritual that's used to extract Elemental power from a witch or wizard."

"Fan-bloody-tastic," Harry groaned. "And how far has he got with this ritual?" he asked as Severus' hand settled on the base of his neck, his thumb moving back and forth in a placating gesture.

"We're not entirely sure, we don't yet know fully the extent of the ritual, but odds are he's made pretty good progress."

Harry felt his heart sink; if Voldemort succeeded in completing the ritual then he was done for, he wouldn't be able to fight him, he would win, a chilling possibility that was looking ever more likely to be a reality.

The meeting continued, and various reports were given on the state of things, not that Harry managed to listen to a great deal of it; he was far too preoccupied turning things over in his mind. After a good fifteen minutes of sitting worriedly chewing his lip, he felt Severus' consciousness ease across his mind as the man said,

"Stop before you drive yourself mad."

"I can't stop thinking about it Severus."

"I know Harry, but worrying yourself stupid won't help. Put it out of your mind for the time being."

"And think about what instead?"

Bizarrely, he felt the man's smirk in his mind as his husband said, "Well, if you can hang on until we reach our quarters, I'll give you something else entirely to think about."

"Mm," Harry replied, successfully distracted, "I like the sound of that."

"You usually do."

The meeting wound down eventually, a fact for which Harry was very grateful; the internal dialogue between himself and Severus had become more and more heated as the time had drawn on and he was very, very eager to retreat to the dungeons and have his husband all to himself. He stood by the door, watching as Severus spoke in hushed tones with the headmaster.

They had agreed to wait a few days before they brought up the subject of Switzerland, so Harry didn't know what the two men could be talking about, but he did know that his need for his husband was increasing by the second, and if the headmaster kept him much longer, he would have to march over there and drag Severus all the way back to the dungeons. Thankfully he was spared that task as the men's conversation ended and Severus walked back over to him.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked him as they made their way down the stairs.

"I'm not sure," Severus replied. "He's asked if we can both come to his office first thing tomorrow morning, he has something to tell us."

"Sounds ominous," Harry said as they walked through the castle corridors, passing several unfamiliar faces on their way.

"I don't know, he was...being quite evasive."

Harry snorted and said, "The headmaster? Surely not."

"Something's going on, I just wish I knew what. He said that I would benefit greatly from it, though it might come as something of a surprise."

"What on earth could that be about?"

"Merlin knows."

"The headmaster is not Merlin."


Thin beams of sunlight filtered in through the cracks of the curtains, casting small flecks of sunlight across the gloriously naked upper-half of Harry's body. The boy lay on his front, one arm pillowed beneath his head, the other slung out across the bed as he dozed softly. His lips were parted slightly and he breathed softly as he slept, his features relaxed and content. Severus watched the sleeping form beside him, letting his eyes move over the places his hands would soon follow. Harry was so beautiful and Severus enjoyed looking at him almost as much as he enjoyed touching him. He smiled as Harry wriggled in his sleep and emitted a little moan of contentment.

He wasn't surprised the boy was still asleep; the previous night had not been one of cocoa and a good book. Severus smirked at the memory; by the time they had returned from the Order meeting, both of them had been desperate to sate their need, and they hadn't even managed to make it to the bedroom, not the first time anyway. Severus was always attracted to Harry, he always wanted him, but since their wedding night, that need had somehow increased ten-fold, and it seemed to be the same for Harry too.

The slightest touch was enough to send Severus' senses into overdrive, and when they weren't touching, all Severus could think about was when they would be again. His need for the boy was almost primal, a deep urge that constantly needed to be satisfied, and there was such sweet pleasure in making love to Harry.

He reached out and brushed the hair from Harry's forehead, trailing a long finger across the boy's brow and down over his nose, then grazed the red, parted lips. Those beautiful lips, so full and perfect, whatever the boy did with those lips, he did well. His fingers moved lower, down the boy's neck and over his shoulders, the skin smooth and firm beneath his fingertips. He drew his hand down the boy's back, pained somewhat by the cruel scars that marred the beautiful skin. He had his own scars, but his had been made in adulthood and were the result of his own foolish decisions; Harry had done nothing to deserve his. He felt a surge of protectiveness shoot through him; Harry was his now, his husband, his life. He smiled as his hand moved lower, ghosting across Harry's lower back, hovering slightly above Harry's pert backside.

Harry's body tensed beautifully and he muttered in a hoarse, sleep-laden voice, "Mm Sev, you're making me hard."

Severus chuckled, continuing to move his fingers lightly over Harry's skin, and said, "I'd noticed by the way you were pushing yourself into the mattress."

Harry opened his eyes and smirked up at this husband, then rolled over onto his back, Severus' hand settling to rest on the flat of his stomach, brushing his bobbing erection slightly. "I'm surprised you have the energy after last night," he teased, lifting a hand and brushing it across Severus' bare chest.

"I'm not ready to be put out to pasture just yet," Severus replied, his voice low and his black eyes glittering, enjoying the teasing, sensuous movements Harry's hand was making across his chest.

"No, no you're certainly not," Harry whispered, arching upwards and pushing his hard prick into Severus' hand, groaning at the sudden contact. Severus' strong fingers closed around him, the pressure utterly delicious, just enough to gratify his desire, but not enough to give him release. He pulled Severus down into a kiss as Severus continued to stroke him firmly. He emitted a soft moan as Severus' tongue met with his own, his body reacting to the wonderful things Severus was doing to him.

"My beautiful boy," Severus murmured as he moved his lips down to Harry's throat, Harry's hand gripping his shoulder tightly.

"Mm," Harry agreed, not bothering to try and form a coherent sentence, even less inclined to do so when Severus moved down his body and drew his hard length into his warm mouth. "Oh...oh yes," Harry said breathily as Severus began to suck him hard. "Mm, oh Merlin that's...God Sev...I..."

Severus smirked around Harry's prick; he loved knowing that he could reduce Harry to such a state, and he never failed to enjoy doing so. "So good," Harry hissed as Severus made some rather wonderful movements with his tongue, sending his senses reeling. "Mm Sev, I want, I need..." he said, his voice bordering on a whimper.

Severus slowly withdrew his mouth, accompanied by a soft cry of complaint from Harry, and looked up at his young husband. "What do you need Harry?" he asked, his voice low. "What do you want?"

Harry writhed against the mattress, one hand tightly gripping the bed-sheets, the other tangled in Severus' hair. "Say it Harry," Severus commanded, "tell me what you want."

Harry released a slow, keening noise and whispered, "I want you inside me...now."

"Remember your manners," Severus said teasingly and Harry shot him a withering look, gritting his teeth together and saying,

"Please."

"That's better," Severus said, reaching for a well-used jar on the nightstand.

"You're just doing it manually to make me wait longer," Harry groused as he watched Severus liberally coat his fingers in the thick, viscous stuff.

"Don't tell me you're complaining?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow as he slid a finger inside Harry, watching as the boy bit down on his full bottom lip.

"Well...no," Harry replied as Severus added another finger then another, stretching and filling him. He pushed down against the welcome intrusion, smiling up at Severus as the man met his eyes. "Please fuck me now," he said with an impish grin.

Severus growled low in his throat and slicked his cock up, grabbing Harry's hips and pulling his down the bed. Harry spread his legs eagerly and felt his breathing hitch slightly as Severus positioned himself then entered him in one hard thrust. "God yes!" he cried out, slinging his legs over the man's shoulders, drawing Severus in as deep as he would go.

"Perfect," Severus growled as he thrust into Harry's tight heat, pinning the boy firmly to the bed as he angled himself just right to hit Harry's prostate, causing the boy to cry out and hold on to him tightly. Harry pulled him close and Severus took the opportunity to attack Harry's throat as he continued to pound his young lover into the mattress.

"Yes!" Harry cried as Severus' thrusts became more insistent, sending off sparks behind his eyes. "Oh God that's...yes! Oh God harder, please Sev harder," he begged, and thankfully his husband complied, moving in and out of his willing body with hard, hot thrusts. "Fuck!" Harry yelled as he came hard, shooting spurts all over himself and Severus, who continued to thrust until he came moments later, releasing himself into Harry. They collapsed in a sweaty pile of limbs, Severus' body weighing down deliciously on top of Harry. "Wow," Harry said with a pant as Severus eased carefully out of him. "Fuck, that was..."

"Indeed," Severus agreed, moving a finger across Harry's chest and sweeping up the remnants of Harry's orgasm, sliding his finger into his mouth and licking it clean. "Mm, you taste wonderful."

Harry groaned and said, "For fuck's sake Sev, keep doing that and there's no way we're leaving this bed today, which would be rather problematic as we have a meeting with the headmaster in half an hour."

As it happened, they ended up being slightly late for their meeting with Dumbledore, not least because Severus took every opportunity available to drag Harry into any darkened alcove and press their bodies together, kissing the life out of the young man. By the time they finally made it up the stairs to the headmaster's office, they were both rather breathless and utterly unable to extricate themselves from one another, and when they finally made it through Dumbledore's door, Severus' hand was still resting on Harry's back.

"Ah Severus, Harry, you're here," Dumbledore said with a non-too-subtle glance at his watch.

"We're sorry we're late headmaster," Severus said, trying to hide his smirk, "we were...delayed along the way."

Harry bit his lip to stop from smiling and nudged Severus in the ribs, avoiding meeting the headmaster's eyes.

"Well, no matter," said Dumbledore as Harry and Severus took their seats.

"Why are we here headmaster?" Severus asked, letting his leg rest against Harry's.

"Well my boys, I have some rather interesting news, news that I was not at all expecting," Dumbledore said, leaning forward on his elbows. Harry noted that the usual offer of tea was absent, which was mildly disconcerting. The news the headmaster had to convey must have been either terribly important or terribly dire, or possibly both. "About a month ago," the headmaster continued, "I received a letter from a very unexpected source, for I had believed the sender to be...no longer with us. My suspicion was aroused, and I resolved not to trust the letter until I could be sure of its authenticity, which I later verified."

"Professor...what on earth are you talking about?" Severus asked, wishing the man would elucidate whatever point he was trying to make.

The headmaster fiddled with his beard for a moment, then said, "Well, perhaps a lengthy preamble isn't necessary." He rose from behind his desk and walked slowly over to the door, Severus and Harry watching with rapt attention. He paused for a moment, then slowly opened the door to reveal a man standing there. He was tall and painfully thin with dark, black hair that was tied back in a short ponytail. He had sharp, angular features and high cheekbones, over which was stretched pale, taught skin. There was something about the man that Harry thought he recognised, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. His attention was distracted as, to his side, Severus rose slowly to his feet, his eyes firmly fixed on the man, the colour completely drained from his face.

He walked slowly towards the man, who hadn't moved a muscle, but who was staring right back at Severus with equal intensity. Severus stopped when he was about a foot away and stared at him for a long moment before he whispered in utter disbelief, "Marcus?"


AN: Oh I'm so bad aren't I? But at least I gave you a nice little smut scene to make up for yet another wicked cliffhanger, so hopefully you won't all shout at me too much : D

I very much hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.